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DHS Awards $835,000 for Clean Energy Storage Solutions

As climate change poses increasing threats, the Department of Homeland Security seeks to maintain the resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas toured Terrebonne General Hospital in Houma, Louisiana to examine the damage caused by Hurricane Ida in 2021. DHS photo by Benjamin Applebaum.

Recent extreme weather events have increased the frequency and duration of electricity interruptions. To keep critical infrastructure resilient during disasters and emergencies, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded $835,000 for clean energy solution innovations.

In collaboration with the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), DHS launched The Clean Power for Hours Challenge last year to best prepare for increasingly regular power outages. Five winners were announced on April 22.

“When disaster strikes, restoring electric power can quickly become a matter of life or death,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “It is required to keep utilities like water treatment plants running, emergency rooms operations, first responders in communication with each other and much more.”

Grand Prize winner Urban Electric Power Inc., was awarded $400,000 for its Rechargeable Zinc-Manganese Dioxide Battery Energy Storage System. The company, based in Pearl River, New York, uses alkaline battery chemistry to make rechargeable battery systems for stationary energy storage applications, according to a press release. The solution is safer and easier for critical infrastructure use than lithium batteries and is cleaner than fossil fuels.

Dr. Hari Dharan of Omnes Energy in Woodland, California, was awarded $200,000 for his Long Duration Power Delivery for Critical Infrastructure innovation. The nonlithium technology uses an electromagnetically suspended steel rotor—aka flywheel—coupled with a motor or generator. The flywheel generates backup power for easy use during an emergency, the release states.

The “Innovator” Honorable Mention was ElectricFish for its containerized battery storage device. The Fremont, California, company received $50,000.

Each receiving $25,000, other Honorable Mentions include New Use Energy Solutions Inc., and ONYX POWER LLC.

The department will continue collaborating with the winners to assist in technology acceleration.